Yusei vs Ruka: Prodigy and Genius
by Alastor Nightshade
Summary: Yusei duels Ruka in an attempt to boost her confidence after the stress of the Fortune Cup crashes down on her.
1. Chapter 1

Ruka Vs Yusei

The elevator gave off a quiet ring with every floor it ascended. Tapping his foot impatiently, Yusei pressed his back to his D-wheel and rose his arms to his chest, watching as the light indicating floors rose higher and higher. Yusei grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled it across his arm, peering silently at the mark etched into his skin. Images of that crimson creature danced in his mind while Stardust Dragon and Red Demons Dragon exchanged blows. Before slipping into his thoughts, the final floor had arrived, and the elevator doors swung open.

Yusei stared into the impossibly large apartment building with a solemn smile. He read aloud:

"Dear Yusei,

Come to the Tops area as soon as you can, it's important! And make sure to bring your deck!

-Rua"

Written in the almost illegible scribble of an 11 year old, Yusei folded the paper and tucked it away into his jacket. He grabbed his D-wheel by the handles and slowly led it into the room where he placed it against the nearest wall.

"Yusei Yusei Yusei Yusei Yusei!" Chanted the hyper child who had invited him into the home. Rua jumped in excitement at Yusei's appearance, taking him by the arm and leading him into the main room. There, the first thing that caught his attention was the balcony, as massive as it was, it gave off the perfect view of the beautiful city, especially in mornings such as this.

"Hey, Rua," Yusei responded with a smile aimed at the child. "What was so important that I had to rush over here?" He asked, meeting eyes with everyone else in the room, taking him by surprise. Himuro with his arms crossed over his muscular torso sitting next to Yanagi, who could barely keep himself still. Across the room from them was Ruka, sitting by herself on the couch with her arms cupped over a card, her head knelt down and her hair hiding her face. Rua pulled him aside and whispers.

"Something is wrong with Ruka..." He said, pulling Yusei down to his eye level. "She's been like this ever since we came home from the Fortune Cup. She sits and does nothing all day! She doesn't eat, she barely sleeps, she hardly talks! And when she does, it's to her deck. You gotta do something, Yusei..."

Yusei could see Yanagi trying to cheer up the little girl by jumping around and carrying on, only to be calmed down by Himuro, who knew it wasn't helping. Without saying a word to Rua, Yusei paced in to the room, knowing it wasn't the time for a reunion as excited as Yanagi was to see him.

"He'ya, Sonny!" He exclaimed, waving to Yusei with his big smile stuck on his couldn't help but smile, despite the situation.

"Hello Himuro, Yanagi," He said, kneeling down to get a better look at Ruka. Yusei started by feeling her forehead, to no avail. She felt fine. He then tried looking at the card she was hiding, but all he could see was the white background.

A Synchro Monster? He thought, tilting his head very slightly. He could hear Ruka whisper "I can't... I can't..." to herself.

"What can't you do?" Yusei asked, placing a hand over Ruka's shoulder. Everyone stared silently.

"They want me to protect them, Yusei..." She whispered just as quietly. She sounded as if she was going to cry. "They're going to die because I'm not strong enough..."

"Who are you talking about, Ruka? Who are you protecting?" Yusei tried to ask, in the softest voice he could manage, trying to calm Ruka down.

Ruka didn't answer. She simply pressed the card to her chest, holding it tightly.

"Hey, Rua," Yusei called, standing to his feet again with a confident smile on his face.

"Y-Yeah?" Caught off guard, Rua looked up.

"How about we duel, raise everyone's spirit?" Yusei recommended.

Rua twisted his face in irritation. " Ahhhhhh!!!! I don't have my deck!!! Tenpei has it, he wanted to upgrade it for me!" The child complained, yelling and swinging his arms around in frustration.

Yusei's expression dropped. Killed that idea. He then turned his head to Himuro, who shook his head back, then Yanagi, who also shook his head.

"Sorry, Sonny... I don't have all 'o my cards on me," Yanagi sighed, but in a clown-like fashion, he pulled four cards from random places on his body and started drooling over them on the couch.

"Yusei! Yusei! Why don't you and Ruka duel?!" Rua excitedly asked. Surprisingly, Ruka lifted her head up, staring first at her brother, then at Yusei, her eyes wide but her face blank. She looked deep in thought, but all the more interested in the idea. She usually preferred to stay away from dueling, but something about her face intrigued Yusei and persuaded him.

"I almost forgot," Himuro raised an eyebrow in interest. "Ruka is a dueling prodigy, she could give you a very good run for your money, Yusei."

"What do you say, Ruka? Let's duel, and prove you're strong enough," Yusei encouraged her, triggering the tiniest of smiles from Ruka's lips. She looked down at the card in her hands, then to her left, both glances widening her smile. She looked different now, much better than only seconds ago. She even looked excited. "I think you need this, for your confidence's sake."

"I-I accept," The girl eagerly responded, rising from her seat and sprinting to her room. She was very intelligent, especially for her age, and she deserved to be a kid once in a while. Yusei exchanged glances with everyone else in the room, and they smiled as if to tell him "Good job".

Yusei paced towards his D-wheel, twisting the deck holder on his wrist and removing the stack of cards from it, sliding them into the empty pouch on his belt. He then opened a second pouch, taking the deck and replacing it with his speed deck. This deck was better fitted for ground duels, since obviously this one wouldn't be a speed duel.

_Duel Disk, Engaged, _The bike said, and with the extension of his arm, the D-wheel gave of a multi-colored light, locked on to Yusei's wrist, and attached the disk to the metal bracer. Rua led Yusei outside onto the balcony, where they had their first duel. Both Yanagi and Himuro followed, sticking to the sidelines along with Rua. They waited.

"If I'm going to be stronger... For you, Kuribon, I need to do this..." Ruka told herself, smiling at the hovering ball of fur that followed her around. Kuribon squealed, nodding its head to agree with Ruka. She took one final look at the card she held, then slid it into her pocket, wrapping her arms around her Duel Disk, and rushing towards the balcony. When she had arrived, she gave a quick glance to everyone, and took her place several feet from Yusei, standing up straight to face him despite her anxiety. She brought her left arm to her chest, and slid the Duel Disk across her arm until it attached to her wrist.

"Are you ready, Ruka?" Yusei called to her, expecting a challenge from the girl.

"Mm... Yeah, ready when you are!" Ruka responded, raising an arm in the air to show enthusiasm.

"Good luck, sis! Good luck, Yusei!" Rua cheered. Ruka growled quietly.

"_Duel!_" They called to eachother, their Duel Disks started its counter, marking both duelists with 4000 Life Points. The two drew their five cards and Yusei started the duel off. Ruka stared at her cards silently, doing her best to pay attention to Yusei's moves.

"My turn, I draw!" He exclaimed, pulling the top card from the Disk and adding it to his hand.

Ruka looked at her hand and started to think. _Kuribon, Sunlight Unicorn, Ancient Forest, Swords of Revealing Light, and Truesdale's Mischief._

"I'll start off by placing Shield Warrior (Level 3/Warrior/Effect, 800/1600) in defense mode!" Yusei stated, placing the card sideways on the first card zone.

The tall man soon arose in front of Yusei from the card beneath him, lowering to his knee and hiding his body with the large shield bared on his arm. When Shield Warrior was in the graveyard, Yusei could remove him from play to prevent his monsters from being destroyed for one turn.

"Next, I set two cards face-down, and end my turn," Yusei finished, sliding two cards into slots on his Duel Disk. In front of him, two cards arose, their backs all that could be seen.

"My turn, I draw!" Ruka repeated, pulling her top card from the Duel Disk. _Fairy King Truesdale. "_And I'll start by summoning Sunlight Unicorn(Level 4/Beast/Effect, 1800/1000) in attack mode!" And just as the girl had announced, the white horse was soon summoned to her side, its mane a beautiful sapphire dancing in the wind. "Once per turn I can look at the top card of my deck, and if that card is a spell card, I can add that card to my hand," She explained as she pulled another card from her Disk.

Ruka held the card up and turned it to face Yusei, _Horn of the Unicorn, _and added it to her hand. "I'll now equip my Sunlight Unicorn with Horn of the Unicorn, increasing his attack power by 700 points, giving him 2500 attack power," The unicorn galloped high, his horn surrounded in a beautiful light. Yusei simply smiled.

"Next, I activate the field spell Ancient Forest!" Ruka smiled back, removing the card from her hand and sliding it into a slot on the side of her Disk. Within seconds, the entire balcony faded away, and trees soon erupted from the ground. From all sides, both duelists and the spectators were surrounded in woods, bringing wonder in the eyes of Yanagi and Rua. Himuro remained without a word, enjoying the duel already.

"Oh no!" Rua soon realized, extending his finger to Yusei's monster. "Because of Ancient Forest, Yusei's monster is switched to attack mode!"

Ruka nodded. "Ancient Forest switches all monsters into attack position, and as long as it stays on the field, neither of us can defend. Also, if any of our monsters attack successfully, they are destroyed at the end of the battle phase."

"Nice move..." Yusei complimented Ruka as his warrior rose to his feet. With only 800 attack points, Yusei was running out of luck. "Now I'm vulnerable to your attacks, Ruka, but that makes you just as in danger."

"Sunlight Unicorn, attack Shield Warrior!" Ruka demanded, and on command, the stallion began to charge. Yusei needed to think. As useful as Shield Warrior was in the graveyard, if he took this direct attack, he'd take 1700 points of damage to his Life Points. It wasn't worth it, not now anyway.

"I activate my face-down, Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Yusei countered, a metallic figure rising in front of the horse to stop him in his tracks. "Once per turn, I can negate one attack you make against me, Ruka. My Life Points are safe."

"Nice save, Yusei!" Rua cheered. "And a really nice move on your part sis!"

"Because your Scarecrow negated my attack, my Unicorn is not destroyed this turn. I end my turn after I set two face-downs," She ended, sliding _Swords of Revealing Light_, and _Truesdale's Mischief _into the slots.

"Now it's my turn, I draw!" Yusei said once again, pulling another card into his hand. "Preventing me from playing defense mode is a really good strategy, Ruka, especially when I need to keep cards on the field. I summon Junk Synchron(Level 3/Warrior/Tuner/Effect,1300/500), in attack mode!" Upon its summon, the small creature arose from its card, taking a stance and waited for his command. "Normally, I'd be able to special summon a two star monster from my graveyard with his effect, but because I have none, his effect is not applied."

"Why would Yusei do that? Does he have a six star synchro monster?" Rua asked, looking at both Yanagi and Himuro for an answer, but neither of them knew.

"I now release Junk Synchron to special summon from my hand, Turret Warrior(Level 5, Warrior/Effect, 1200/2000)!" Yusei smiled. Junk Synchron vanished into light, and in his place rose a large, towering figure, taking the form of a golem. Its arms and legs resembled stone, and the ground seemed to tremble as his feet touched it.

"Yusei tributed Junk Synchron for a weaker monster?" Rua continued to spas, only to be told off by Ruka.

"If you calmed down and listen, you'd find out, Rua!" She complained. "When you release a warrior for Turret Warrior's effect, his attack is increased by the attack of the monster you released."

"That's right. Ruka, making my monster identical to yours. Any monster I attack with gets destroyed, and I'm feeling pretty safe right now. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"So far, neither of them have taken any damage. It's getting good now," Himuro laughed.

"My turn, I draw!" Ruka chanted, swiping the next card from her deck, _Dreamsprite_.

"I summon Dreamsprite(Level 2, Plant/Effect, 300/200) in attack mode!" She yelled, placing the card horizontally on her second zone. The tiny, blue fairy was then summoned, placing itself on Ruka's shoulder. "When you declare an attack on Dreamsprite, I can choose another monster I control as your attack target."

"Ha, so your monsters are safe as long as your Unicorn is around," Yusei laughed, impressed by the little girl.

"Sunlight Unicorn, attack his Shield Warrior again!" The stallion began its charge once again in an attempt to damage Yusei.

"By attacking my monster, you've activated my Spirit Force trap card!" Yusei quickly flipped over his most recent face-down, stopping the horse once again before his attack could hit. "During the battle phase of your turn I can negate an attack from one of your monsters, then retrieve a warrior tuner monster from my graveyard, adding it to my hand," Yusei flashed Junk Synchron to Ruka and added it to the rest of his cards. "Unfortunately, your Unicorn is once again safe."

"Damn..." Ruka cursed under her breath. Yusei had a level three tuner in his hand, and a level five monster on the field. He could easily Synchro Summon his Stardust Dragon next turn.

"Main Phase 2, I activate Swords of Revealing Light, for the next three turns you cannot declare an attack on my monsters," She sighed in relief. Ruka knew that Yusei's deck had plenty of combos he could use with Stardust, and the more time she had to think, the better. "End turn."

"My turn, I draw," Yusei added the next card to his hand. "And summon Junk Synchron from my hand!"

Once again the orange creature sprung from his card, his fingers wrapped around the rip cord on his chest. He pulled it, starting the engine on his back. "I tune my Turret Warrior to my Junk Synchron!" Upon command, Junk Synchron split into three small, orbs of light. Three rings surrounded Turret Warrior, and the two took to the skies. The three orbs aligned in the middle with Turret Warrior, creating a straight beam of light to shoot through the rings.

"Clustering hopes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!" Yusei chanted, drowning Turret Warrior in light. "Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Amidst the light came a figure, a large and towering dragon. Its wings appeared damaged as they stretched across the sun, hiding the duelists from its light. The dragon was surrounded in beautiful stardust, its very skin seeming to glisten. It let out a menacing cry and flew circles in the sky before landing on its two feet before Yusei. Stardust Dragon (Level 8, Dragon/Synchro/Effect, 2500/2000) had been summoned.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!! Such a'beaut, she is! A signer dragon!" Yanagi cried happily, waving his arms in the air in excitement.

"By tributing Stardust Dragon I can negate the effects of any card that destroys another card on the field. When I do this, Stardust Dragon is reborn during the end phase. Because I can't attack, I'll end my turn there."

Ruka felt her legs tremble at the sight of the beast, whose eyes brought chills to her spine. No monster in her deck could stand up to a power like Stardust Dragon's, not without enhancements. She started losing faith, she thought it was over already. All Yusei had to do was attack with Stardust, negate and destroy Ancient Forest with its effect, and attack her when she was defenseless.

"You can do it, Ruka!" Rua cheered for his sister. "Don't be afraid of his dragon, just pull something out even more powerful and show him what you can do!"

As corny as it was, Ruka couldn't stop from smiling at her brothers words. She wanted to let him continue, he sounded as if he could, but she wanted to finish the duel. She closed her eyes, brought her Disk to her chest, and slowly drew her card. Everyone waited in anticipation, Rua hardly able to hold still. Ruka smiled. "You came..."

Everyone watched eagerly on what she would do, and after a moment of silence, she pressed her card horizontally onto her third zone. "I summon Sunny Pixie(Level 1, Spellcaster/Tuner, 300/400) in attack mode!"

The fairy appeared from a wall of light, as tiny as Dreamsprite, and took her place on the opposite shoulder. The fairy smiled at Yusei, causing a raised eyebrow in confusion. Before anyone could ask, the fairy became transparent, kissed Ruka's cheek, and faded away into an orb of light. Both Sunlight Unicorn and Dreamsprite were lifted into the air, a series of rings falling from the heavens to surround the two. No one knew what to say.

"Tuning my level one Sunny Pixie to my level four Sunlight Unicorn and level two Dreamsprite!"

Rua held out his hands and began to count. "One... Four... and two... A seven star synchro monster?"

"What kind of synchro monsters does your sister have, Rua?" Himuro asked.

"As far as I knew, she didn't have any!" Rua's mouth had a hard time staying open.

"Under my protection, you have nothing to fear! Bestow upon me your power! Arise, my ace monster, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Ruka called as a beam of light swallowed her monsters, and from this light, arose a powerful, sapphire serpent. Its wings resembled the beauty of a butterflies, its colors ranging from blue, to red, to green, combining in a mosaic masterpiece. The large serpent wrapped its body several times around Ruka, providing her with its protection. Ancient Fairy Dragon(Level 7, Dragon/Synchro/Effect, 2100/3000) appeared.

All who watched, even Yusei, felt amazement overflow them. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Ruka continued. "Once per turn, using Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect, I can destroy one Field Spell I control and gain 1000 Life Points every time I do. When I do that, I can add a second Field Spell from my deck to my hand. Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon, destroy Ancient Forest!"

The dragon roared, unleashing from its maw a powerful, multi-colored blast of light straight up into the air. The blast came raining down on the entire forest, sending the spell to the graveyard, and reverting the field back to the balcony. Ruka's Life Points increased to 5000, and a single card extended out from her deck as she held her hand over it. When she pulled the card out, she instantly placed it where Ancient Forest used to be.

"In its place, I activate the Luminous Spark field card!" Within an instant, the world around the group became nothing but light, enveloping over every tangible figure. To the spectators, the two duelists appeared black with shadows, as did their dragons. "All light creatures gain 500 attack points in addition to their original attack points, making my dragon 2600, just enough to destroy your Stardust Dragon."

Yusei appeared to be having too much fun with this duel. The smile on his face has yet to go away, or even twitch into a frown. He acted as if nothing Ruka did surprised him, which, oddly enough, brought a smile to Ruka's own face. She could tell the high hopes Yusei and her friends had for her, just by their reactions to her moves. Whether she won this duel or not, she knew everything she needed to know, She was more than strong enough, to protect her friends.

"Because of your Scarecrow, any attack I make with just one monster is useless, so I'll activate my dragon's second effect. Once per turn I can special summon one level four or lower monster from my hand, so long as I don't enter the battle phase."

"Smart of her to do, build up her forces while she can," Himuro commented.

"With it, I special summon Kuribon(Level 1, Fairy/Effect, 300/200) from my hand in attack mode!"

The ball of fur now arose, a pink ribbon wrapped around its tail, its small feet pushing itself up into the air over and over again, jumping with excitement. Kuribon jumped into Ruka's arms and they hugged eachother. "I end my turn now."

Yusei drew his card, "My turn, I draw!" He yelled. "This is only the second turn for Swords of Revealing Light, I still can't attack. I activate from my hand, the spell card Tuning, which allows me to add one Tuner monster from my deck to my hand, so long as I send cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard for every star it has, and I'm choosing Nitro Synchron(Level 2, Machine/Tuner/Effect, 300/100)" He said as the card slid into his hand. He picked up the first two cards of his deck and sent them to the graveyard. Speed Warrior(Level 2, Warrior/Effect, 900/400) and Quillbolt Hedgehog(Level 2, Machine/Effect, 800/800).

"I now summon Nitro Synchron from my hand in attack mode. And now that I control a tuner on my side of the field, the Quillbolt Hedgehog I just sent to the graveyard is reborn in attack mode as well!" Both monsters appearing as their names were called stood next to eachother, the bottle of Nitrous Oxide and the furry machine monsters. Nitro Synchron began to unscrew his cap, letting gas escape, and transforming him into another sphere of light. "I tune my Quillbolt Hedgehog to my Nitro Synchron," Yusei began, the tiny creature being engulfed in rings of light. "Arise, Arms Aid!" Yusei called, and from that light arose what appeared to be a gauntlet, black armor with crimson talons.

"Arms Aid could be trouble," Yanagi now commented.

"Yeah, no kidding. Any monster he equips to gains 1000 attack points, and deals damage to the opponent every time it destroys a monster," Himuro added.

"Oh no..." Ruka whispered.

"I equip my Arms Aid to my Stardust Dragon, giving my beast 3500 attack points!" Yusei exclaimed as the gauntlet attached itself to the already-threatening talons of the dragon. Stardust flexed its claws, letting out another, menacing roar. "At the end of next turn, you're completely vulnerable to my beasts attack, Ruka. I end my turn."

"My turn, Yusei! I draw," Ruka pulled the next card. _Emergency Lifesaving..._

_What do I do..._ Ruka thought to herself, looking to her Kuribon card for some kind of sign. She couldn't get rid of her Luminous Spark field spell, that would make her even more vulnerable. She only had two cards in her hand, Emergency Lifesaving and Fairy King Truesdale, neither of any use right now... Yusei's Scarecrow preventing her from attacking with her Ancient Fairy Dragon, and Kuribon was too weak to attack either Stardust Dragon or Shield Warrior. She couldn't attack...

And then it hit her, maybe she didn't have to...

"I end my turn," She said, without even making a move.

"What are you doing, Ruka?!" Rua yelled out, hardly able to watch the duel with the light so bright. "You're not going to do anything?"

"Calm down, Rua," Himuro said, smiling. "Your sister knows what she's doing."

"My turn, I draw!" Yusei yelled once again, placing the card he just drew in the graveyard. "I activate Mystic Space Typhoon, destroy Swords of Revealing Light!"

All three spectators gasped, yet Ruka seemed unaffected. Cooperatively, she placed her only protection in the graveyard, releasing Yusei's monsters from its grasp. "Now, Stardust Dragon! Unleash your wrath, attack Kuribon!" On Yusei's command, Stardust Dragon began to roar and cry. Its wings spread far out, it's body was slowly lifted from the ground, then projected at the small creature. Stardust Dragon prepared to strike Kuribon with its armored arm, but suddenly, Stardust froze, and Kuribon disappeared.

"I activate Kuribon's special effect, when he is selected as an attack target, I can return him to my hand to have all battle damage I receive become zero. Normally, you'd gain your monster's attack points in Life Points, but now I activate Truesdale's Mischief!" Ruka eagerly explained, raising an arm in the air to point to the sky. "When an effect activates that restores either of our Life Points, Truesdale's Mischief turns it into damage for both of us!"

Now everyone gasped. Rua was quick to point out, "That means both Yusei and Ruka take 3500 points of damage!"

"Oh no..." Yusei whispered.

"That's right... Go, Truesdale's Mischief!" The card slowly stood upright, the front facing Yusei. From the picture of this card, a bright beam of light shot up to the sky in a similar fashion as Ancient Fairy Dragon. Once high enough, the beam split in two, and hit both duelists at the same time. They let out cries in unison as their life points dropped, and the blast struck their bodies. Yusei, left hunching over his waist, was left with only 500 points, and Ruka, who could hardly stand the force of the blast, went down to 1500.

"Dammit..." Yusei panted, his smiled replaced finally by a serious face. Smoke erupted from both of their bodies, their clothing fairly torn by the blast. "I end my turn..." Yusei growled, with nothing left he could do.

"My turn... Draw..." Ruka struggled to say, barely able to keep to her feet. "I activate... Pot of Greed..." She said softly, drawing the top two cards from her deck. _Magical Stone Excavation and Trap of Darkness... Perfect..._

"Now, activate, Magical Stone Excavation! By sending two cards in my hand to the graveyard, I return Ancient Forest to my hand from my graveyard...!" She coughed, rising the Field Spell above her head before she placed it in her hand. She wouldn't play it yet, if she did, Yusei would destroy it. She needed it...

"I use... Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect, destroy my Luminous Spark field spell to gain 1000 Life Points..." She smiled, although small, her Life Points regenerated to 2500, however her Dragon reverted back to 2100 attack points. I summon Kuribon in defense position... and end my turn."

Yusei drew his card after announcing it was his turn, and went straight into the battle phase. "Arms Aid, unequip from Stardust Dragon, and attack her Kuribon!"

_Why would he do that... _Ruka thought as Kuribon shattered before her eyes at the hands of Arms Aid, not using his effect this time. _He's trying to lure me into attacking him... He has something waiting for me._

"Now, Stardust Dragon, attack her Ancient Fairy Dragon!" On command, a relentless, white blast erupted from the maw of Stardust Dragon, engulfing Ruka's monster. Ruka took the difference in their attack powers as damage, leaving her at 2100 Life Points. Ruka let out a cry as her Life Points decreased again, harming her farther and knocking her off her feet. "Main Phase 2, I switch my Shield Warrior into attack mode, and end my turn."

Ruka struggled to stand, but once she did, the smile on her face and the fire in her eyes became stronger. "My... turn... I draw...!" She panted, refusing to look at the card. _Come on... I need you... _She prayed, slowly bringing the card into her hand. "Thank you, deck..." She whispered.

"I think sh' got somethin' good, Sonny!" Yanagi warned Yusei, but he simply smiled. He wanted to see what was so good, he wanted to see how Ruka acted in his trap.

"I activate," She rose the card high above her head before slamming it against the Disk in excitement. "Monster Reborn!"

Ruka could see her brother smiling, she could see everyone around her enjoying themselves, and it was because of her. The spirit of Kuribon rose from her graveyard, nodding its head to Ruka with a bright smile. "Come forth, my Ancient Fairy Dragon!" She cried, an intense light firing from her Disk onto the field, creating a vortex of light along the ground. As Ruka looked at the vortex, she could see her creatures, Sunlight Unicorn, Kuribon, Sunny Pixie, and Dreamsprite, cheering her on as a pillar of light shot up from the vortex, forming into the body of Ancient Fairy Dragon. The monster soon appeared, particles of light dancing about its form.

"Next, I play Ancient Forest!" And once again, the woods surrounded all in the area, transforming the balcony for the third time.

"What are you planning, Ruka?" Yusei called out.

"What are you doing?!" Rua mimiced Yusei, their reactions almost identical.

"Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon! Destroy Ancient Forest with your effect!" The dragon roared, curling itself around the small girl once more. In the same fashion as before, the dragon aimed a powerful blast straight into the air, raining down upon the forest once more and destroying it. The impact created a large cloud of smoke, covering the entire field momentarily. Yusei reached for his face-down card, but as the smokescreen began to clear, his arm returned to his side, a smile on his face.

Stardust, Arms Aid, Shield Warrior, and Ancient Fairy Dragon slowly began to fade away as the duel ended, Yusei with zero points, and Ruka with one-hundred points remaining...

No one said a word for several minutes, and the only sound that could be heard was the panting of the two, powerful duelists. Ruka was shown to have a trap card flipped up, Trap of Darkness, before the game had ended.

"What... What just happened..." Rua tried to ask, in pure shock at his sister.

Yusei began to explain. "When Ruka destroyed her Ancient Forest, she would have gained 1000 Life Points, but she activated Trap of Darkness in the midst of it all... Trap of Darkness, at the cost of 1000 Life Points, acts as one trap card in the user's graveyard..."

"So that means..." Himuro started.

"Right... Ruka used Truesdale's Mischief with Trap of Darkness... making both of us take 1000 points, instead of her gaining it. She took 2000 points, and I took 1000..." Yusei laughed.

Ruka, exhausted, fell to her knees and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her wrist burning with a birthmark... "I did it..." She cheered in a whisper. "I did it..." She cheered louder, before her body fell to the ground, her eyes closed shut.

"Ruka!" Rua called, running towards her sister after all of the creatures had faded away, joined by Yanagi and Himuro, and then Yusei, who wrapped her in his arms and hoisted her off of the ground in a cradle, supported by her back and legs.

"She's just tired, Rua, she'll be okay," Yusei assured Ruka's worried brother as he carried her into the apartment, laying her as gently as he could on the nearest couch. A smile was stuck on her face.

"U-Um... Sonny..." Yanagi tried asking, but he became too timid.

"Yusei... you still had a face-down card that entire time... What was it?" Rua nervously asked, his knees still shaking from the excitement.

Yusei simply shook his head. "It doesn't matter, it wouldn't have helped me anyway. Your sister would have figured a way out even if I activated it."

"I should get going," Yusei glanced at Yanagi and Himuro. "Take care of her for me, and Rua, make sure you tell Ruka how amazing she was."

Rua nodded his head a smile now stretching from his lips as he cheered. "Right, I'll tell her all about it the second she wakes up!"

"Good, she'd love to hear it," Yusei paced back to his D-wheel and took the trap card from his Disk, sliding it back into his deck. He wheeled his bike back towards the elevator, strapped on his helmet, and faded away as the elevator doors closed...


	2. Notice

I feel like I should say something. The story has been up for three years and it got way more comments/favorites than I ever thought that it would. I know that simply commenting wouldn't reach any of you as a message, and if I PM'd every single person, that would not only be creepy, but take a long time. So, this may be easier, despite being a little against the rules. It's in good faith.

This story was my debut story into YGO fiction. It was the first serious fiction I wrote, and it took me from when I woke up one morning until I fell asleep. Don't really know where the inspiration came from, but even now I still get favorites and messages about the story. I find this just amazing. So I wanted to thank everyone who left a comment for commenting, all of your nice words inspired many more chapters of a new YGO fiction that I work on here. I then want to thank everyone for just reading it, I didn't even expect that much.

I would have loved to continue this story, but there's just nothing else I could've done. It was meant to simulate an episode of the anime, including only cards the characters have shown to use or seen to be/assumed to be in possession of at the time. Continuing the story maybe could've meant Yusei and Rua dueling, but I figured since that already happened, it wouldn't have been as interesting.

But to anyone who remains interested in the way I write my duels and my YGOs, visit my profile and take a look at Unlimited Boundary RW, the product of the inspiration you all gave me. Maybe at some point I will replace this notice with a second chapter, but I wouldn't know where to begin.


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